Cuckoo's Nest Cast visits Oregon State Hospital in Salem

The Cuckoo's Nest cast go on a field trip to Oregon State Hospital where the story takes place and where the film was shot. pcs.org/cuckoos-nest

February 22 — March 27
On the Main Stage

By Dale Wasserman
from the Ken Kesey novel

Directed by Rose Riordan

“Scarifying and powerful.” —The New York Times

It was set at the Oregon State Hospital, still one of the most controversial institutions in the state. It was arguably the greatest anti-authority protest novel of the 20th century. And it boils down to one insistent refrain: Authority Must Always Be Questioned. Want more? Cuckoo’s Nest pits Randle Patrick McMurphy (a convict who has feigned psychosis so that he can spend the final months of his sentence at a mental institution) against Nurse Ratched (the icy head nurse of the ward), who believes that rules must be followed without exception. A band of crazies gets half-inspired, half destroyed by McMurphy’s rebellion and the question remains… was it worth it anyway?